De Blasio Meets with Mark-Viverito Supporters in Council Race

Melissa Mark-Viverito talks with community members at her uptown office in Manhattan on Dec. 9, 2013.

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio met Monday with New York City Council members who are supporting Melissa Mark-Viverito in her bid for speaker, voicing his strong support for her election as head of the 51-member municipal legislature.

“He talked broadly about the progressive agenda and this being a progressive moment. He talked about looking forward to working with Melissa,” said one person, recounting the mayor-elect’s remarks. “He said, ‘You all have made your choice, and I think you’ve made an excellent choice.’ ”

The event, held at City Hall Restaurant in Lower Manhattan, was designed to rally support for Ms. Mark-Viverito’s bid to become the council’s first Latina speaker. The crowd included a majority of the newly elected council, labor leaders and other elected officials.

Earlier this month, Ms. Mark-Viverito announced that she had accrued the support of 30 of her colleagues, more than the 26 needed to become speaker. The vote is slated for the council’s first meeting on Jan. 8.

On Monday, The Wall Street Journal published a report chronicling Council Member Dan Garodnick’s effort to persuade some of Ms. Mark-Viverito’s supporters to vote for him instead. Some of Mr. Garodnick’s supporters said some of Ms. Mark-Viverito’s supporters are wavering.

Several of Ms. Mark-Viverito’s backers said Monday they believe Mr. Garodnick’s backers are bluffing. “There is a rock solid majority for her,” one of Ms. Mark-Viverito’s supporters said.

Mr. Garodnick said, “We will continue to present our case to the City Council and feel confident that we will have the votes on Jan. 8.”